CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT BASED ON AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTEXT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH IN THE CONTEXT OF ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

Abstract

This research is a needs analysis study aimed at developing a curriculum based on an interdisciplinary context-based learning approach within the 10th-grade physics course, focusing on the electricity and magnetism unit. The research was designed according to the case study model and data were collected from expert, teacher, and student sample groups through questionnaires and interview forms. Descriptive statistics were utilized for quantitative data analysis, while content analysis technique was employed for qualitative data. The results indicated that the physics curriculum continued to maintain a disciplinary perspective and a classical understanding of physics, with insufficient connection with daily life and adaptation to contemporary conditions. Similar results were identified in the 10th-grade physics textbooks and in-class instructional practices concerning the unit of electricity and magnetism. In this respect, the research identified the needs for developing a curriculum based on an interdisciplinary context-based learning approach to address these negative results. These needs, while enhancing interdisciplinary context-based understanding, can also contribute to the emergence of various opportunities and different perspectives in physics education. It is recommended to identify needs in other subfields of physics as well and develop curricula designed with an interdisciplinary context-based approach for more effective and efficient physics education. Keywords: interdisciplinary understanding, context-based learning, electricity and magnetism, physics education, high school students